HARDEEVILLE, S.C. — The margin of error for the University of South Carolina Beaufort baseball team was minimal entering the weekend. To have a real chance at winning their first Sun Conference baseball title, the Sand Sharks had to sweep their three-game series against Webber International.
Now, the pressure is on the other contenders.
A dazzling game-ending double play sealed a 3-2 win in the opener, and the No. 19 Sand Sharks finished the sweep with a 6-3 win in the nightcap Saturday at Richard Gray Sports Complex.
The Sand Sharks (34-14, 20-7 Sun Conference) pulled even with Embry-Riddle atop the conference standings and moved 1 1/2 games ahead of St. Thomas.
The eighth-ranked Eagles have two conference games remaining against Ave Maria that were rained out Saturday and rescheduled for 12:30 p.m. Sunday. The No. 13 Bobcats have two remaining games against Florida Memorial that were rained out Saturday and rescheduled for 11 a.m. Sunday and one game remaining against Warner that will be made up only if necessary.
USCB needs both Embry-Riddle and St. Thomas to lose at least once to win the title. The Sand Sharks and Bobcats both hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over Embry-Riddle, and the Bobcats hold the advantage over the Sand Sharks.
If all three end up tied, St. Thomas would earn the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament, with USCB second and Embry-Riddle third.
All those scenarios might have been moot for USCB if not for a stunning defensive play that preserved a 3-2 win in Saturday's first game.
With the bases loaded and one out, Webber International's Shane McIntyre hit a bouncer up the middle that seemed destined for center field.
But second baseman Gabe Torres made a diving, backhand stop and flipped the ball to second while lying on his stomach. Shortstop Weldon Smith caught the toss with his barehand and wheeled around to throw a strike to Erik Armstrong at first for a game-ending double play.
The spectacular play preserved the win for senior left-hander Adam Miller (8-4), who allowed two runs on seven hits over six innings, and senior lefty Colton Rudd earned his fourth save with three scoreless innings of two-hit ball.
Dom Hayes went 3-for-3 with two RBIs to lead USCB's offense in the opener.
The Sand Sharks grabbed a quick 4-0 lead in the second game, as Dylan Nasiatka and Conald Mansfield drove in runs in the first inning and David O'Neil added a two-run single in the second.
The Warriors got within 4-3, but Keenan Ivey added a solo home run — his first as a Sand Shark — in the seventh, and Keifer Youmans capped the scoring with an RBI double in the eighth.
Miles Galvin (5-0) earned the win, allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits over six innings, and three relievers — Alex Graham, Junior Delatorre and Matt Barger — worked a scoreless inning apiece. Barger earned his third save.
The Sand Sharks play a non-conference home game against SCAD Savannah at 4 p.m. Tuesday, then head to the Sun Conference tournament from May 1-5 at City of Palms Park in Fort Myers, Fla.
